No 'coalition job' for David Blunkett

David Blunkett has responded to a story in the Mail on Sunday suggesting that he may take a role at the behest of the coalition Government, advising on welfare reform.

Mr Blunkett said: "Now that Iain Duncan Smith is the Work and Pensions Secretary and has obviously severed his links with the Centre for Social Justice, the CSJ is seeking a greater degree of independence and has approached me to see if I would be prepared to act as an advisor.

"I have asked the CSJ to come back with a proposition for a role for me, on an unpaid, informal basis. There is no question of paid work being involved.

"The notion that I will 'advise' David Cameron, Nick Clegg or anyone in the Government is false. I have not sought, nor will I seek, to take up a coalition role.

"I am happy to work with think tanks and provide my lifetime's worth of experience in the field of welfare reform, as I have done in producing a range of policy pamphlets over the last five years."

UPDATE 16/8: Thanks to everyone for their comments.

Matters of funding and who takes part in work with the Centre for Social Justice is, of course, a matter for them; but at the moment, the proposal is for David to take part, unpaid, in a cross-party advisory committee — which at the moment doesn't even exist!

The CSJ does have a record of working across party — take, for instance, its work with Labour MP Graham Allen on early intervention. David has a long commitment to the voluntary and community sector and so indicated that he would consider serving on the advisory committee once he knew the full ramifications. This is as far as this proposal has reached. Unfortunately, there are some who are deliberately trying to make mischief!

David has no intention of working for, or collaborating with, this coalition government. Given the way in which its programme of cuts and disinvestment is impacting the very people who he represents — as mentioned in the comments — why should he? Ed.

Comments

[Red Rag]

Mr Blunkett, I find it completely shocking that you would even consider a role for yourself in the comically named Centre for Social Justice. You say that Iain Duncan Smith has severed his links with it. You had better explain this to the CSJ, who has his name, quotes,links and pictures all over their website. With regards not wanting to take up a coalition role. If you do join up with the CSJ you would be joining up with other members such as Jonah Eliasch, William Hague,Robert Halfron,Tim Montgommery, Stephan Shakespear and David Willets. Only someone very politically naive, which you are definitely not, would not notice that if someone of your political stature joined the CSJ in any form it would not be seen as another so called "Labour Loyalist" legitimising the coalition and would be used with huge publicity in Camerons efforts to detoxify his parties brand and justify to his party the benefits of the coalition.If you do not believe me read todays Mail on Sunday.What next, a role in the Adam Smith Institute?

[Ian]

David,

Can you please provide details of who funds the CSJ ?

Regards,
Ian

[Justice Is Done]

I'm joining Red Rag in asking questions.

I'm unemployable, marginalised, and poor. I'm also self-educated, in touch, and have a record of political success behind me. Now, pardon me for being a bit cynical but what makes you think you know more about poverty than I do? What makes you think you have better ideas? What makes you think you can make an atom of difference for me and people like me? Aren't you just using people in my position as a passport to power before you give us another kick in the teeth?

As far as I'm concerned the poor need to form their own leadership, list of demands, and be prepared to take the fight to the door of the privileged. If that means some fat cats start fearing for their lives, a few leafy suburbs get turned into smoking craters, and the CONDEMS have a riot on their hands every week until they're gone I won't get in anyone's way. We've been lectured to, robbed, and ignored for long enough.

Here's a start. I'm sure I can think of more if I have to.

1. Create the jobs or business creation opportunities *we* want and abolish the bullying and victimising requirements of the dole.

2. Stop the arrogant postcode discrimination and spend money on making our places nice to live in and evict neighbours from hell next to some posho.

3. Allow us to work and make money without brutally punishing welfare and housing benefit, and immediately raise all welfare income by 20%.

4. Allow the poor to stand as candidates in elections by fully funding their candidacy fee, office, and campaign expenses.

5. Stop sending the poor to prison and on compulsory work schemes until bluechip CEO's have their entire estates confiscated for whitecollar fraud and are forced to clean toilets in honour of their staff every week on Fawning Friday.

I expect to see that DELIVERED in full before I'll even speak to, look at, or acknowledge ANY politician (Labour or otherwise) ever again. When the penny drops it will probably be too late so why bother with you at all? And that brings me back to thinking the poor should just get organised and make themselves into a force to be reckoned with.

[Final para amended slightly in line with house rules. - Ed]

[Fed Up To The Back Teeth of Cameron Preaching To Me!]

There are far more poor than rich!

As usual you are a politician so far removed from reality that you haven't a clue about the depth of feeling out here from ordinary people sick and tired of being lectured to by politicians and Cameron is just one politician too many. This is enough - no more!

[Peter Robson]

Mr Blunket,
I would urge to consider very carefully how much real independence the CSJ can have when you look at the funding arrangements and the endorsements of the supposedly independent think tank. Any support from you, paid or not, would be seized on by the enemies of the poor and disadvantaged and spun into evidence of your support for the condem alliance of evil. You would alienate a lot of labour supporters countrywide and also Sheffield who are suffering from Cleggs betrayal.
Yours Faithfully
Peter Robson

[Ron Burns]

"Unfortunately, there are some who are deliberately trying to make mischief!"

No, Mr Ed, there are some who quite predictably are trying to use David Blunkett's symbolic status as a political weapon to damage the Labour Party on the one hand, and to mask the Coalition's stealth axe strategy on the other. Given his background and experience David clearly has a vast amount to contribute to the policy debates: let him speak out, write, publish in his own right. It's slightly disconcerting, given his experience, that he doesn't seem to see that he is being used as a ConDem patsy.

[Red Rag]

David or ED(whoever he is).

I intend no mischief. I will ask the question again, is David Blunkett so politically naive not to realise that if he took up any role for the CSJ, that it would be used as a PR excersize by the the media to promote the lie that the coalition is a broad church. Why not wait to find out the new leader of the Labour Party and put yourself forward to advise him on this subject?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2010/08/15/blair-s-old-pals-to-join-cam-ranks-115875-22488513/

[Ian]

David, will you be replying to any of these questions, it is no good having an open blog and not answering them

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